“Star Wars: Episode VII” has added two newcomers to its cast, and will take a two-week hiatus in August because of Harrison Ford’s recovery from a leg injury, the production announced Sunday.

Lucasfilm and Disney discovered American actress Crystal Clarke and British actor Pip Andersen via a casting call last year that drew a total of more than 60,000 applicants from in-person auditions and online submissions.

In addition to J.J. Abrams’ new “Star Wars” film, Clarke will be seen in next year’s fantasy “The Moon and the Sun,” starring Pierce Brosnan as an immortality-seeking King Louis XIV.

“The ‘Star Wars’ universe has always been about discovering and nurturing young talent, and in casting ‘Episode VII’ we wanted to remain absolutely faithful to this tradition,” producer and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy said in a statement announcing the news at StarWars.com.

Ford, returning to his iconic role of Han Solo, was injured early last month in an accident involving the Millennium Falcon’s door. In adjusting its schedule to accommodate the actor’s recovery, the production is taking a two-week hiatus next month. Shooting, meanwhile, has continued in London after location work in Abu Dhabi finished in May.

“Star Wars: Episode VII” takes place 30 years after the events of “Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi,” with original stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker joining Ford as part of the ensemble cast.

Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega and newcomer Daisy Ridley, in addition to Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson, performance capture expert Andy Serkis and venerable Swedish thespian Max von Sydow, will also star in “Episode VII,” as will Lupita Nyong’o, who earned an Oscar for supporting actress earlier this year for her heart-wrenching turn in “12 Years a Slave,” and Gwendoline Christie, who plays the towering fighter Brienne of Tarth on HBO’s “Game of Thrones.”

Abrams’ “Episode VII” kicks off a planned trilogy in the George Lucas-created saga set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. It was recently announced that Abrams will be succeeded by Rian Johnson (“Looper”), who will write and direct “Episode VIII.” There are also spinoff films in the works.

Lucasfilm says “Episode VII” shooting is on pace to wrap in the fall, with the hotly anticipated film’s release still scheduled for Dec. 18, 2015.